Marketing in the City by the BayAlumni Spotlight: Christy Ottesen, SCC '15

December 29, 2017

by Gina Pasquinelli, SCC ’18

Christy Ottesen graduated from Chapman University with a Bachelor’s in Strategic and Corporate Communication in December 2015. Since then, Christy has been exploring her career options, but she has landed in her perfect fit, a Marketing Associate for Yelp Reservations & Yelp Nowait in San Francisco, California. Christy was able to combine her love for restaurants with her passion for marketing to land her dream job.

What does a typical day look like for your current position?

I go to a lot of meetings and collaborate with other teams (i.e. product, account management, sales). When you work at a large company you have all the resources to succeed. Another huge part of my day is staying organized. There are a lot of moving parts in marketing and you don’t want to forget about anything. One second, I could be talking to a client for a case study I am writing, the next working on a dinner invitation and then reading data on a spreadsheet. Each day is different – that’s what makes marketing so challenging and fun.

Is there a particular class or professor at Chapman you have found impactful to your current position?

I loved taking Marketing from a Communicator’s Lens with Kara Udziela. I was able to learn about every aspect of marketing, how it affected the consumer, the science behind it, and get an introduction to supply and demand. At the end of the semester, we created a product to market to the class which gave me skills I continue to build off in my job today. I also learned a lot from my Business Communication class. It was really beneficial for me to learn how to write and speak professionally in a business environment. Overall, I really benefitted from listening to what professors had to say about their experience in the business world and absorbing their professional knowledge.

What personal qualities do you think are important to be successful at your job?

Be resourceful. If you don’t know something or don’t know how to do something always try and figure out how to do it on your own first and if you can’t then look for someone who could teach you. You also have to be flexible and positive. Tech companies are constantly changing in order to be the best. You don’t always understand the change but you have to trust it’s best for the company as a whole and roll with the punches. Lastly, you have to be able to work independently and in groups. I know they teach you this in school with group projects and individual assignments so work on those skills now because that’s not going away.

Finally, what advice would you give to a recent graduate looking for a career?

You will find direction through identifying what you are good at and what you are passionate about and fusing them together.

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